The Enchantress's Daughter
by cecewritesx
Summary: When Ben put into action a proclamation to bring the children of the Villains to Auradon, he never meant for this to happen, for her to come. When Channing, the daughter of the Enchantress is brought to Auradon, she has an agenda, one that will turn all of Auradon upside down.
1. Chapter 1

It was almost like a lottery, every kid on the Isle was hoping to be chosen, to be part of the group getting to escape the hell hole that was the Isle of the Lost, and learn what it was like in the real world, in Auradon. Of course, some were innocent, they wanted freedom because they just weren't meant for a life in a place where being kind hearted would leave you in the gutter. Others, however, had ulterior motives. They weren't in it for the education, no, they were in it for the proximity to the royal family. For the chance to carry on the family tradition of evil.

Everyone thought when the first four were taken, it was a fluke, that they would either ruin it for everyone and get shipped back, or they would lead the Isle to freedom. They would be the ones to break down the barrier and evil would once again run through the land unchecked.

Those hopes were put to rest, however, when Mal, the daughter of supposedly the evilest person in the Isle, defeated her mother, turning her into some kind of lizard. That did, however, open the possibility for more to be brought over to the school. For more of the children of the Damned to be taken from their homes in exchange for a good education, access to normal electronics, and the ability to finish their parents work.

The job hand been given to a man named Widdles. He was the one in charge of deciding who got to go and who was going to be left behind in each round of transfers. He, along with a trio of body guards, walked the streets, it was his job to determine who would be the best to bring to Auradon, who was too far gone, who would bring something to the school that they needed. It seemed all anyone could talk about anymore was the possibility of leaving the Island, even the adults, who were stuck here for life found themselves interested, taking bets on who would be included.

"Who do you think they're going to take?"

"I bet they'll take Smee's daughter."

"God I hope not, she's a blithering idiot, they'll all laugh at us."

"Us? Speak for yourself, I definitely don't imagine myself on the same level as the Smee girl."

The streets were buzzing, everyone waiting for the announcement. And when those children were picked, everyone was there to watch them go, congratulating and cheering, even if deep down they were scheming, waiting, hoping these were the children who would free them.

* * *

"Wait, so you're telling me you have no idea who's coming?" Mal asked Ben, as the school gathered outside, waiting for the newest batch of Villain kids.

"No, when I gave the job to Widdles, I trusted that he would come up with the best options. The ones who really need or deserve to be here." Ben shrugged. "I mean, I figured he'd run it by me, but apparently." He shrugged again and clapped with everyone else as the limo pulled around front.

"It's kind of exciting." Evie grinned, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet. "Maybe it'll be friends." She let out a dramatic gasp, her hand on Jay's bicep. "Maybe They'll send out Gaston Jr."

"Good, I could use someone around here who can really arm wrestle." Jay flexed. The limo stopped and the chatter sank down to a low buzz of conversation as the door opened. The first person to duck out left the ladies breathless. His clothes were impeccably tailored, a lavender button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, burgundy vest and slacks, all somehow pulled together by a satin-y blue tie. The young man's dark hair was pulled back into a low pony tail. He was broad chested, but immaculate, the kind of guy that girls fell over themselves to impress.

"Jonathan Ratcliffe." Carlos muttered. "Greedy, selfish-"

"Handsome." Jane interrupted

"Womanizer." Mal finished.

Next filed out two girls, one right after the other. One was slightly taller, her red curls falling down over her shoulders, the other had black hair, styled very similarly to the other girl, both wore the same style skater dress, the redhead in green, the brunette in pink. With matching tights and boots, they could have been-

"Twins?" Ben asked.

"Cousins. Ana and Dru. Ana's mother is Drizella and Dru's mom is Anastacia. Ana's the brunette and Dru is the redhead." Carlos supplied. "Almost never separated, It's kind of ridiculous."

"Very ridiculous." Mal corrected.

The next teenager to step out was rounder, shorter. He wore a red and gold shirt with black pants, his dark hair messy on top. His body was soft but the look in his eyes was hard, sharp, like he could take off your head at any moment.

"Rudy. The Red Queen's favorite child."

"Only child." Evie supplemented Carlos's comment. "He's mean, violent, everything his Mummy would want out of a child." She crossed her arms over her chest as Rudy moved next to Jonathan. Finally, one more person stepped out and the crowd fell completely silent.

The girl's face and hair were obstructed by the wide, fur lined hood of her dark green vest, the lighter green dress she wore underneath bared her shoulders, but had long, tight sleeves, trailing down over the heels of her hands, her nail painted the same shades of green as her outfit were slightly pointed. Under the dress she had dark green leggings, tucked into brown ankle boots. The air around her seemed to crackle and as she gripped the top of the hood, pulling it down, it made sense.

The crowd audibly gasped as the hood came down, revealing Channing, daughter of the Enchantress. The woman who had turned Ben's father into the beast, the woman who had wandered the lands able to manipulate the world around her, bringing either destruction or glory at her will.

"Widdles is fired." Ben whispered.

 **Author's Note** : Welcome to my newest story, something that has been floating around in my brain for a while now and I'm finally figuring out how to put it to paper. Some of you might be wondering 'But what about your other two stories' I'm not getting rid of them or stopping them, I will be working on them again, I just have to get together the muse for them both. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my newest story and if you have any questions, comments or anything of the sort feel free to leave them in a review or a PM.

The Quixotic


	2. Chapter 2

"No, absolutely not." King Adam roared, pacing his office. "This is unacceptable, where is that idiot, Widdles?" He demanded.

"We've already sent for him, he should be here soon. He was going to remain on the Isle to start working on the next wave-"

"Next wave? Benjamin do you not see why this is a terrible idea? He didn't just bring over Villain kids he brought over that... that..."

"Devil spawn?" The two men jumped, turning to the door where Channing, Dru, Ana, Rudy and Jonathan all stood, waiting. "Some prefer the term Demon, but honestly, I think Devil Spawn has a certain... disgust to it that just feels right." She walked into the room, not waiting for an invite. Adam instinctively took a step back from her. "Relax, Your Highness, I'm not about to turn you into a glorified house pet." The teenage girl had a way of making 'Your Highness' sound like an insult.

"You're going back to the Isle." Adam growled.

"But I was picked."

"I don't know what kind of magic you performed-"

"There is no magic on the Isle. You made sure of that. There was no way I manipulated that overgrown garden gnome Widdles that he should send me to this living nightmare." Channing gestured to the walls around them. "But really if you want to send me back, I wouldn't complain."

"We would." Rudy spoke up, his voice was low, gruff. "We were brought here as a group, Channing is one of us."

"You can't send her back, you just can't." Ana added.

"She's our best friend." Dru nodded.

"And quite frankly, how would that look to the other students?" Jonathan asked. He smirked at the two kings of Auradon. "You force the other students to live with the children of their parents' villains but you can't do the same thing yourselves?"

"My mother isn't a villain." Channing chimed in. Jonathan gave her a look that said, 'shut up'.

"Isn't it a bit... hypocritical? I'm sure Chad won't be excited to see his cousins, after the hell they rained on his mother, but he'll have to live with it, with them. But you're so special you don't have to learn to live with her?" He gestured to Channing who had plopped herself into a chair.

"You-" Ben's argument trailed off slowly. "You're right."

"Ben."

"They're right, dad. My whole program is based on the idea that Villain's children shouldn't suffer for the sins of their parents and... Channing is no different."

"My mother isn't-"

"Shut up." Jonathan knocked his hand into Channing's shoulder.

"I'll show you to your rooms." Ben nodded, ignoring the look his father was giving him. Channing slowly stood, her eyes on Adam.

"I'll see you around, Beast." She gave him an 'innocent smile before turning on her heel and heading out the door with her friends.

"This is Auradon Academy. The school my mother and father created, with the intention of giving the children of Auradon the very best education possible." Ben began, walking with them down the hall. "We offer a lot more to the students beyond classes, we have extracurricular of all types. Art Club, Science Club, Culinary Society, we even have sports if that's what you enjoy." He glanced over his shoulder at the group, all five seemed to still be listening.

"What does it take to make our own club?" Jonathan asked curiously.

"A proposal, a professor to back it and permission from Fairy Godmother." Ben answered. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end, knowing she was behind him, he could practically feel her eyes on his back.

"Is there a cheer squad?" Dru and Ana asked in unison.

"There is, I can get you in touch with Audrey she is the captain of the team."

"Sounds like a horrifying waste of time." Channing commented.

"Then don't join." Ben replied without missing a beat. He led them through the halls, showing Rudy and Jonathan their room before leading the ladies to theirs. "Normally the rooms are for two people but we added another one-"

"I want the tower." Channing interrupted. Ben froze and looked back at her.

"What?"

"I don't want this room. I want one out there." She pointed out a window to the turret where is own room was located.

"That's not possible." Ben shook his head.

"Anything is possible, My Dear King Ben."

"Don't call me that."

"I want a room in the Tower, I want to be able to everything outside my window."

"Why?"

"You know why." Channing's gaze didn't waver as Ben stared at her. He could feel static electricity building. Ben felt his pulse increase and he held his hands up.

"Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do about getting a room put together."

"I don't need that, just get me a room, I'll take care of the rest." She replied and the static feeling died down. Ben cleared his throat and nodded. He needed to get that under control, he knew that for sure.

"Fine, in the meantime just... wait here." He pointed to the door that now would just house the Tremaine Cousins and took a step back, heading down the hall. When he glanced back over his shoulder, Channing was still watching him, a small smile on her lips.

"You're going to traumatize the poor boy, C." Jonathan and Rudy appeared behind her, Jonathan looking down at the shorter girl.

"Good. It's the least I can do after everything I've been through."

"Careful, Channing, Bitter isn't a good look on you." Channing turned to look at him finally, a spark of fire in her eyes.

"Everything, is a good look on me, Ratcliffe." She replied before pushing through the door to the Cousins' room.

"Wasn't that locked?" Dru asked.

"I thought so." Ana replied with a shrug as they followed behind her.

* * *

"You know we can't let her stay here." Adam looked to his wife. Belle, as per usual, looked relaxed, a book open across her lap.

"Adam, you have to give the girl a chance. It was part of Ben's proclamation, if you repeal his first proclamation, how would it look to the people?"

"Not... good." Adam replied slowly, sighing.

"We'll keep an eye on her. Maybe she really does just... want to get out of the Isle. I know a lot of those kids do."

"She's not a kid."

"She is."

"She has power beyond what you would believe, Belle."

"But she's still a kid, Adam. She hasn't done anything wrong-"

"Because she didn't have access to her magic, to her abilities."

"Which is why you put them on the island. It had nothing to do with a grudge." Belle rolled her eyes lightly and went back to reading.

"Belle-"

"Adam."

"I hope you're right."

"I hope I am too." Belle sighed and turned a page in her book.

* * *

"So, what do we do tonight?" Dru asked as they closed the door to the room, her attention turned to Channing, who was walking around the room.

"Tonight? Unpack, get use to your surroundings." She paused to pick up a chocolate from a box that someone left there for the Cousins. "Tomorrow is our first day of school, and education is very, very important." She popped the chocolate in her mouth and bit down on it.

"And what are you going to be doing tonight?" Jonathan asked, knowing her too well to think she was going to be doing the same thing. Channing swallowed the chocolate and cleaned her teeth of any remaining bits before giving him a bright smile.

"I'll be testing my new skills." She replied, with a small flick of her finger, one of the chocolates ascended into the air, floating over to Jonathan, who grabbed it, tossing it to Rudy, who ate it in one bite.

"You know I don't each chocolate, C."

"Seriously, all of you, don't do anything stupid tonight. Tomorrow, you're free to do whatever stupid acts your little heart's desire, but tonight, lay low." She ordered, eyeing Rudy specifically. "If any of you ruin this, you will pay." She warned before heading to the door.

"I have a strong feeling my room is almost ready." She smiled slowly and headed out into the hall.

"You think she could really hurt us?" Rudy asked Jonathan.

"Me? No. You? In a heartbeat."

 **Author's Note:** I was hit pretty hard with inspiration today so I'm trying to get everything out that I can. This story is still building in my mind, but I think it's going to be pretty great. As always reviews are appreciated.

The Quixotic


	3. Chapter 3

"They're up to something." Evie's gaze was on the table where the new kids sat.

"Of course they are, Ev, they're basically us last semester, and we were up to something." Mal looked up from her reading, her eyes settling on the group. Jonathan was sitting up on the top of the table, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Ana and Dru were sitting next to each other on the bench on one side of his legs and Rudy was on the other. "Where's Channing?" Mal asked.

As if in answer, the blonde strolled over, placing her hands on her hips. "Mal, it's been so long."

"Too long." Mal nodded.

"Or not long enough."

"Probably that one." Mal agreed.

"Heard about your familial problems. I have to say, I never thought you'd find the courage to stand up to your mom like that. Especially with your weird glowy eye thing." Channing commented drily.

"When it came down to it, I realized Evil isn't really all that great."

"Wow, Really? I mean, you're wrong, but how nice." Channing cocked her head to the side, looking thoughtful. "Evil isn't that great, or Ben is that great?"

"Both." Mal shrugged.

"Huh. Well I guess that makes sense, he and his family didn't lock you up for no proper reason."

"Your mom did-"

"Teach him a valuable lesson? I agree, thank you, Carlos. However, I'm talking to Mal." Channing glanced over at the boy sitting in the grass with Dude.

"Don't talk to him like that." Jay ordered, standing up.

"Or what?" Channing challenged, straightening up.

"Or you'll have to deal with us." Evie spoke, standing alongside Jay. Channing simply glanced between the four of them and smiled brightly.

"Cute." She could feel as Jonathan, Rudy, Dru and Ana all moved behind her. "But I'm pretty sure I could more than handle all of you. Guess we'll have to wait to find out." They all turned to look as Fairy Godmother came practically jogging their way, Jane on her heels.

"What's going on here?" Fairy Godmother asked, looking between the groups.

"Catching up with old friends." Channing answered. "Right M?"

"You got it, C." Mal replied through gritted teeth.

"Good, I would hate it if we had to send people back to the Isle for fighting."

"Question, Who would you send back?" Channing asked.

"Whoever started the fight." Fairy Godmother replied firmly.

"That'd probably ruin the Villain Kids Program, wouldn't it?" Channing peeked over her shoulder at her friends.

"I'm sure." Jonathan agreed.

"Wouldn't that just be unfortunate." Channing deadpanned. She looked Mal up and down before turning to go. "Come on, we have class. Your class, I believe, Fairy Godmother."

* * *

Fairy Godmother walked into class to find all five of them there. The two boys were seated together, Rudy taking up more than half the desk while Jonathan lounged in the chair next to him. Unsurprisingly Dru and Ana were bumped up against each other, whispering fervently.

Channing took the table behind them, her feet propped up on the table, ankles crossed. She was using a nail file to work on the point to her nails.

"Feet off the table." Fairy Godmother ordered. Channing paused, not moving for a moment, as if weighing whether or not the fight was worth it before placing her feet on the floor. "Thank you."

"What is the point of this class?" Jonathan asked, looking from the board to his teacher.

"To teach the five of you, how to not be evil."

"We're not evil." Channing commented.

"Yes, well... let's get started." Fairy Godmother chirped, picking up her pointer. As she went on and on about the finer points of not being evil, Channing distracted herself by using her magic to braid Ana's hair, the dark strands weaving together, then she undid the braid, never actually touching the girl. She did it again, this time a little faster and Ana turned back to look at her. Channing glared and gestured for her to pay attention. She was partway through braiding Ana and Dru's hair together when Fairy Godmother called her name.

"Huh?" She looked up, accidentally yanking back, the cousins shouted out twice, once as they felt the pull from the magic and the second when they realized they were braided together.

"What in the-"

"braiding." She held up her hands as if she'd been doing it that way. Fairy Godmother gave her a suspicious look but went back to teaching. With a wave of her hand, the braids came undone and Channing leaned back, working on her plans, their plans, for what to do now that they were in Auradon.

* * *

"You're going to get caught if you're not careful."

"What can they do to me? I'm magic by nature."

"Magic isn't allowed, Mal and Jane didn't help that at all."

"No, but I don't think they were really trying to help." Jonathan and Channing were going back and forth in the room he was sharing with Rudy. The other three sat between them, watching.

"That isn't the point."

"What is your point, Jonathan?"

"That if you're not careful, and if you don't stop goading Mal, you'll get us all shipped back home and then the entire plan is ruined." Jonathan stared at her, his gaze unwavering. After a moment Channing sighed.

"Fine, but annoying Mal is so much fun."

"And eventually you'll be able to do it all the time, but right now we are new, this is her territory and everyone will jump to defend her if it comes down to a fight between you and her. You have to make your allies. Not just the four of us, but people who actually have a voice here."

"I know. I just- You don't get it. It feels different. I can feel the power in my veins, it's nothing I've ever experienced before and I need to let it out, I need to practice with it. And honestly the Mal thing will be even more difficult to control."

"Practice in your room, not where anyone can see you. Remember, Channing, we are here for a reason, right?" Ana, Dru and Rudy started when the realized they were being addressed.

"Right." They agreed quickly. Channing made a face and got up from her seat,

"I'm going back to my room. I'll talk to you guys tomorrow."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Today is my day off and I'm hoping to get a lot of writing done today. we'll see how that goes. I'm also hoping to do some updates to my writing Tumblr as well as some other things I'm pretty excited for. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy!


	4. Chapter 4

Channing left her friends behind, heading for her dorm. She knew at some point she'd have to figure out how to magic herself up to her room but seeing as she wasn't sure she could do it, and get all of her there in one go, she was wary of that. In the meantime it wasn't that bad a walk. She had wanted the top of the tower but apparently that was where they kept the King of Auradon, Ben. So she settled for the floor under his. She nearly ran right into him as she was going up the stairs and he was coming down.

"Oh- Sorry." Ben apologized quickly, the look in his eyes hardening when he realized who she was.

"No big deal." She replied, going to move around him.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Going to my room. What are you doing? Isn't it almost curfew?" Channing crossed her arms over her chest. Ben simply smiled.

"I have a date, and it's not. We still have a couple hours."

"I was told it was- Ah, got it." She realized. "The evil ones go to bed early."

"No… I think someone was just joking with you." He paused when she seemed confused. "A joke? Like a trick?"

"I'm aware what it is, most people don't dare to joke with me."

"That's… actually kind of depressing. You need to lighten up. Not everything is so serious."

"Not for you." Channing shrugged.

"What does that mean?" Ben asked. Channing sighed and sat on the stairs.

"You have the luxury of joking and playing. On the Isle… too much of that and you end up strung up, hated, all that and trust me the Isle is not a place where you want to show weakness. Or you end up like Carlos. Who only survived due to his friends."

"You have friends."

"I have friends who are, for the most part, under my protection. You've never been to the Isle, have you, Ben?"

"No, of cou- I mean no."

"No, you mean 'No, of course not'. Because why would you, King Ben of Auradon ever go to a place so terrible, so dangerous, filled with the worst of the worst, the baddest of the bad. Why would anyone ever expect the royal family to take a look at the life they've doomed so many to?" Channing stood back up, the air around her crackling again as she got worked up.

"Channng-"

"It's so easy for you, for all of you, here on this beautiful land, not a trouble on the horizon, not a care in the world-"

"I'm trying to fix it!"

"You're doing a shite job." Channing snapped back. "And some of us didn't deserve to be there in the first place."

"Your mother-"

"Saved your father. If not for the Enchantress your father would still be a wildly selfish, ego maniacal…. jerk. Your mother would probably be married to Gaston and you would be Gaston Jr. Who, trust me, is not nearly as impressive as he likes to think he is."

"What-"

"Go on your date, Your Highness." Channing turned and ran up the rest of the stairs, leaving Ben behind, very confused.

* * *

"Stupid Baby Beast." Channing muttered to herself, she slammed her door open with the wave of her hand and another wave snapped it shut after she had crossed the threshold. "He has no idea what he's talking about. He was raised out here, where it's safe, where he never has to worry about being jumped in the streets." She went to her balcony, looking out at the Isle. It managed to always look dark and stormy out that direction.

"I have a job." She reminded herself. "I have a mission that I will complete." She saw a bird flying over the trees and she held out her hand, concentrating on the animal. She closed her eyes, imagining what she wanted and when she opened them… nothing had happened.

"Dammit!" She slammed her hand down on the stone railing of the balcony, before her eyes, the small blue bird transformed into a large crow, spreading it's new, oil black wings to their full expansion. She smiled to herself, it wasn't perfect, but hey, it worked. She snapped her fingers, relieved when the bird went back to normal, a small, happy blue bird, soaring over the tree tops without a care in the world.

* * *

"You seem distracted." Ben jumped a bit at the sound of Mal's voice. The two of them were enjoying an evening picnic by the enchanted lake, Mal had a pile of strawberries in front of her, a pile of the tops for the one's she'd already eaten was off to the side.

"Yeah I was just thinking about something Channing said."

"You can't listen to her, Ben. She's bitter and mean. And while normally those are qualities I admire in a person, she's on a different level."

"She's right. I mean, her mom isn't actually evil. So why were they sent to the isle?"

"Your dad knows how to hold a grudge?" Mal guessted.

"No- I mean, yes, he does, but no, that can't be the only reason. There has to be something I'm missing."

"This is really bugging you." Mal observed. She picked up a strawberry and held it out to him. "Here. Eat. There is nothing you can do about it tonight so, let's just enjoy our date and tomorrow you can confront your dad, or Channing, or whoever you need to in order to feel better." Ben looked like he was thinking about it before leaning in and biting the strawberry in her hand.

"You're right."

"Of course I am, I always am." She shrugged. Ben laughed and took another berry from the pile. "Hey!"

* * *

Channing took a step back and looked at her handiwork, She wiped her arm over her forehead, she felt exhausted, a little dizzy, but it had worked. She stared at the large mirror on her wall, She'd run all over the castle looking for a mirror large enough and dragging it back to her room had been a nightmare but it was up.

"Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the most powerful of them all?" She asked. The surface of the mirror rippled, and Channing felt her stomach jump, it was going to happen, but the image stayed the same, all she saw was herself. Her blonde hair tied up in a messy ponytail, streaks of dirt on her cheeks from digging for the mirror, her green leggings and grey sweatshirt looking crumpled and wrinkled. Her heart sank and she kicked out at the floor.

"So close." She walked over to the bed and sank down onto the mattress. "Magic Mirrors should not be so damn difficult." she glanced over it again. "Unless- No, don't be stupid." She got back up, tightening her ponytail. "Back to work."

* * *

 **Author's note** : So I just realized I never posted this, I wrote it like... two days ago and thought I did, oops. Well here it is.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: So I am currently sitting here watching Descendants 2 and I want to note that this story is going to disregard the events of this movie solely because... it doesn't fit. So Yeah.

* * *

"Mirror Mirror in my- Hey!" Evie's spell was cut off as the compact was snatched from her hand.

"Ooh, contraband." Channing looked into the mirror and smirked. "Would King Ben approve?" She asked.

"Ben knows I have it." Evie snapped, holding her hand out for it.

"Mirror Mirror-"

"It won't work for you." the blue haired girl interrupted.

"It won't?"

"It only works for my mother and I." She looked up at the blonde, smug.

"Did you hear that, Jonathan?" Channing gasped to the dark haired man who stood on the other side of the picnic table. "It only works for her mother and her."

"That hardly seems fair." Jonathan shook his head.

"That hardly seems true." Channing corrected. She moved so that Evie could see the hand held mirror. "Mirror Mirror in my palm, let's show Evie that she's so wrong." She glanced up at the people watching them, Evie's friends, her own friends. Even Chad and Audrey seemed interested. "Mirror mirror in my hand, show me the one, who rules this land." The surface of the mirror rippled, slowly reforming the image of Ben, walking towards them.

"What-"

"My mother made this." Channing snapped it shut and held it out to her. "Why would she make something she can't use?"

"But does that mean-"

"Don't think too much on it."

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Ben and Mal walked up to the group, Mal's green eyes narrowing at Channing and Jonathan.

"Just having a fun chat with my good friend Eves." The blonde answered, pushing away from the table. Chad and Audrey walked off, along with almost everyone, except the VKs and Ben. "We should be going now."

"Mostly because you're boring." Jonathan clarified.

"I was going to be polite and not bring that up, but honestly he's right."

"Boring?" Jay asked.

"Very. Congrats on taming your first batch of monsters, King Ben. I can assure you the second batch will be much or difficult to master."

"I hate you." Mal snarled.

"I'm glad." Channing retorted.

"Ben. don't you have that meeting?" Mal asked.

"With the council! Yes, thank you, I nearly forgot." He gasped and turned. "I'll see you in class." He stopped and gave Mal a kiss before running off. Channing mimed gagging, one green painted, pointy nail down her throat. Jonathan laughed, the two of them turning to go themselves.

"Meet us here, at midnight." Mal's voice stopped them.

"Midnight? Why would we do that?" Jonthan asked.

"Because it's a rule and you love nothing more than breaking rules."

"That's not entirely true. I like making you miserable. And magic."

"You do seem rather fond of those cheese puffs."

"Oh, yes, I also really like those, Jonathan is correct." Channing agreed. "Rule breaking just comes naturally."

"Well this is a rule that you can, naturally break." Mal rolled her eyes. Channing looked at Jonathan who shrugged.

"Midnight then. And it better be good, Mal, if you're willing to disobey your highness." She mocked. "Come on Jonathan, the other's are going to start thinking we're scheming without them and you know how jealous they can get."

"Rightly so." Jonathan smirked. Channing shrugged one shoulder and the two of them walked off together, heading back to the castle.

* * *

It was five minutes to midnight, exactly the amount of time it would take for Channing to get from her room to the meeting place. She pulled the hood of her vest up over her head and trailed down the stairs, the back hem of her high-low skirt sliding silently over the steps. Her brown boots didn't make a sound as she moved.

The air outside was chilly as soon as she walked out of the door, but she hardly felt it, making her way across the grounds as if she had no fear of someone catching her. Honestly, what would they do if they did catch her? She was the last to arrive, but she'd made sure that the cousins would be the first to show up, so if anything was amiss, they'd know before they all showed up.

"You're late." Mal deadpanned.

"Your clock runs fast." Channing accused. "So, where are we going?" She asked.

"Yeah? Where?" They all jumped, turning when they heard Ben's voice.

"Ben what are you-"

"Channing's room is under mine. You might want to do something about those screeching doors." His blue eyes flicked over to Channing, who smirked.

"First thing in the morning." She promised.

"So where are we going?" Ben asked again.

"The museum." Carlos answered.

"What?" Dru and Ana were in unison, as per usual.

"The museum." Mal confirmed.

"I'm going to bed. That sounds significantly better than going to the museum at midnight." Channing rolled her eyes.

"Then you'll be missing out." Mal taunted. Channing paused, looking to the others.

"Well, Chan, I'd had for you to waste this mysterious hood thing you've got going so, let's go to the museum." Jonathan shrugged, his eyes slowly sliding over the entire group before settling on Channing.

"You know I can roast you alive, right?"

"You could do that before you had the magic."

"Point. Alright, let's go." Channing agreed. Mal glanced at Ben again, who didn't seem like he had any plans to go away.

"Alright, let's go." She gestured for them to follow and after a moment they did, the large group all heading for the museum that Mal and the Villain Kids had broken into before.

* * *

Author's Note: It's been a minute. But after watching the new movie, I'm feeling it. Ummm we'll see if I make another story because I'm in love with Harry Hook and I need to get that love out somehow, but who knows.

The Quixotic


	6. Chapter 6

"So this is it?" Channing looked up at the building, completely unimpressed.

"It's the inside that's cool." Jay replied. Channing rolled her eyes and headed up the stairs. "There's a guard." He warned.

"Not for long." She looked over her shoulder and winked.

"Channing." Ben's voice held a note of warning. Channing simply smiled at him and with a wave of her hand, the doors flew open. Ben started to jet up the stairs and by the time he got there the guard was on the floor. "Is that a pillow?" Ben asked, nearly running into Channing, who's hands were still up.

"Yes." She answered, walking around the large spinning wheel. "So what about this is suppose to be cool?" She sighed.

"Come on." Mal glanced at the guard before slipping past Channing. She headed straight for the Villain room, leading the others.

"Wow." Ana and Dru went straight for the large, terrifying figure of their grandmother, their mothers on either side of her, each of them looking down, anger in their eyes. The cousins gasped at the faces, their hand's flying to their own.

"Don't worry, the nose jobs are holding." Channing muttered. Jonathan stood at the figure of his father, puffing his chest out to try and match the extreme size. Even Rudy seemed enchanted by the round, stout figure of his mother, his large meaty hands reaching out. "Don't touch it." Channing snapped and he quickly pulled it back.

"Your mom isn't here, Chans." Dru commented.

"Of course not." Channing crossed her arms over her chest. "My mother isn't a villain." Mal just smirked and gestured, walking around the giant remake of her own mother, towards an archway, pushing the door's open. At the end of the hall was the figure, a stunted old woman, hunched, gray hair trailing from a hood, not unlike the one Channing currently wore. The hall was lined with pedestals, each holding a magical item that were made by The Enchantress.

"She has her own hall of villainy." Mal's voice rasped in her ear. Channing could feel her heart pounding as she walked, passing by another mirror, like Evie's. She passed a couple of magic wands, enchanted gifts that had been given over the years. Channing got to the end and reached out, before her hand could make contact, the statue shifted, and the girl stumbled back, nearly falling on her rear as the hunched old woman transformed into the beautiful, powerful being she truly was, her face twisted into a mask of revenge and rage. Channing composed herself and turned her head back, looking to Ben, who's own face was devoid of color.

"Channing-." He choked out. She whirled, her skirts flying out behind her, she yanked down her hood and stormed out of hall, the heavy doors slamming behind her.

"Channing." Jonathan called as she moved out of the hall of Villains.

"Touchy." Mal muttered.

"My mother is not evil." Channing turned, her eyes settling on Ben. "She never was, she never has been. You will have this taken down." She ordered.

"It's not that easy."

"You have it taken down or I'll do it myself." She threatened.

"Channing." Jonathan repeated.

"What?" She shouted, the air crackling with power.

"Stop."

"I won't."

"You will."

"I am-"

"Angry. Loose lips sink ships." At Jonathan's words, Channing's mouth snapped shut and the crackle went away.

"It will be taken down." She pointed a finger at Ben, who flinched at the gesture. She turned again and headed back for the school.

"You knew this would make her mad." Ben didn't ask, but stated to Mal.

"Yes." Mal confirmed. "This is how things are done between us. Tomorrow she'll get back at me." the woman shrugged, not bothered.

"You better hope she goes for you, and not someone you care about." Jonathan eyed Ben and then Mal. "Like Father like son, right?" He asked before following after Channing. They managed to catch up to her, as she had slowed after about the halfway point and Ben jogged to walk alongside her.

"I'll talk to the museum about the display."

"Not enough."

"I cant force them-"

"You're the king, you can."

"It doesn't work like that."

"Then how does it work, Your highness." There it was again, her ability to make the words sound like the worst kind of insult.

"I'm a king, a good king. I'm not going to force my people into anything."

"Just the ones you herded onto the island. The ones you doomed."

"I didn't do that. My father-"

"isn't the king anymore."

"So you want me to let the villains out?"

"Not them."

"Then who?" Before Channing could answer, the bright lights surrounding the courtyard flared to life, blinding them all.

"What in the hell-"

"Language, Miss Channing." Fairy Godmother chimed. "You all are aware that there is a very, very strict curfew, right?" She asked.

"I actually didn't know that." Rudy replied with a shrug.

"You have a curfew." Fairy Godmother informed him. He nodded.

"Good to know."

"Fairy Godmother, let me explain-"

"King Ben! You should know better than to sneak out so late at night." Fairy Godmother admonished. He at least had the decency to look bad, glancing down at his shoes.

"I-"

"Detention. For all of you." she pointed her finger at the entire group. "For a week."

"Even the king?" Channing asked.

"Especially the king." FG confirmed.

"Ooh, you're in trouble." She taunted, walking past him, towards their tower.

"It seems I am." He agreed. He looked back at Mal and the other VKs with a shrug.

"How does a king get detention?" Ana asked.

"By following us." Jonathan replied, straightening his tie. "Now if you don't mind, I need to go back to my room and quite possibly do some push ups." seeing his father in all his broad chested glory had given him a case of Pec Envy.

* * *

Author's Note: Here I am! So I don't think I'm going to be able to write much this week as I am participating in Booktubeathon. I'm pretty excited. But I am still feeling really inspired to write. So we'll see. I also have a new, Harry-centric story brewing so look out for that.

Also, a huge thank you to everyone who's left reviews, favorites and follows for this story, I appreciate it so much. It really spurs me on to write. So really, honestly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

The Quixotic.


	7. Chapter 7

Turned out detention was easily the most evil thing to be found in Auradon. It was boring, the most boring thing in the entire universe. Evie sat at the front of the room, her mirror in hand, smoothing out her hair and checking her lipstick. Carlos sat next to her, toying with the string of his hoodie. At the table next to them, Mal was working on her drawings, the pen flying over the paper as she worked. Ben, who had never actually experienced detention before was watching Mal.

"Absolute waste of time." Channing muttered, leaning back in her chair, her feet propped up on the table again. Jonathan, who sat next to her nodded, his long fingers toying with his pocket watch. She reached out, taking the watch and opened it up to look at the time, rolling her eyes. "I could be doing something worthwhile but instead I listened to Mal, went to that garbage pile they call a museum and now I'm here."

"We got caught because of you. Storming onto campus." Mal snapped.

"We got caught because Fairy Godmother knows you all too well. You're too predictable." Channing replied. "Especially now that you're… good." She practically spit out the word.

"Good isn't a bad thing." Ben looked back at her. Channing rolled her eyes.

"That entirely depends on where you grew up. If you were lucky enough to be born in Auradon, sure, you have the ability to be good but on the Isle-"

"Yes, you've said before, very loudly." Ben interrupted. Channing huffed and leaned back in her seat.

"Pouting isn't cute, Chan." Jonathan informed her.

"It is when I do it." She argued. He shook his head and glanced over where the cousins were chatting, then to Rudy, begrudgingly sitting with Jay.

"Detention is a bit… boring." The man muttered to Channing.

"We really should liven it up." She agreed.

"Think you can get Mal upset? I do miss seeing my good friend Mal when she looks ready to set someone on fire."

"Oh please, give me a challenge, Jonathan." She rolled her eyes and glanced around the room for an opening target. Channing could feel the power, the electricity moving down through her body. She flicked her finger and the back legs of Carlos's chair snapped, sending the boy tumbling backwards. Dru and Ana burst into laughter as he hit the ground and Rudy chuckled.

"Carlos!" Evie jumped up from her seat. "Are you okay?" she reached out to help him up. Channing and Jonathan shared a look.

"Do you think that's funny?" Mal asked, standing up and walking over to their table.

"Comedy is subjective, but personally no, that kind of humor isn't my thing." Channing answered, steepling her fingers on the table in front of her.

"I disagree, I think it's hilarious." Jonathan replied. "But that might just be because it's Carlos." He shrugged.

"You know using magic is against the rules, right?" Mal asked.

"Of course. And I, for one, would never dream of breaking the rules." Channing stood up, placing her hands on the table.

"Mal, Channing." Ben tried to interject.

"Magic is in our soul, Mal, I don't know about you, but i find it pretty difficult to ignore it." Channing walked around the table, stepping towards the purple haired girl. "You feel it, don't you? The stirring in your chest. A warmth, a fire that threatens to burn you alive."

"Shut up." Mal snapped.

"Why?" Channing smirked. "Hard to ignore it when someone is pointing it out?"

"I said shut up!" Mal's eyes flared green and the static in the room doubled as Channing stepped forward. Before anything else could happen the door opened and Fairy Godmother stuck her head in.

"What is going on in here?" She asked. Mal's eyes dimmed to normal and Channing electricity died.

"Nothing." Everyone chorused.

"Take your seats, this is detention. Not an afternoon club."

"No, An afternoon club might actually be considered torture." Dru shuddered. Fairy Godmother sighed and closed the door.

"Told you I could get her riled up." She commented to Jonathan, who shrugged.

"Thanks, C. Mal is so much hotter when she's mad." he smirked at Mal, who scowled at him as Channing sat back down.

"Anything for you, Jonathan." She took a seat and smiled sweetly at Ben.

When they finally were set free, Channing headed for her room, all too aware of Ben following after her.

"Why do you have to go after Mal like that?" He asked.

"Because it amuses me."

"It's childish."

"I don't care." Channing stopped and looked back at him, He very nearly ran into her.

"You're better than that."

"You don't know anything about me." She argued.

"I know you have a lot of fire in you. You're angry- With good reason." He stopped her before she could open her mouth. "I know you aren't a bad person."

"And how do you know all that?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm perceptive." He answered. "I watch people and I understand them. A lot of people, especially the ones from the Isle think that I'm nothing but a pretty boy with a title but I know what I'm doing. I'm trying to get the innocent people off the isle, the children of the villains but I have to fight the council to get more people here-"

"What council?"

"Auradon isn't… a full monarchy. You think all the royalty would just… give up all their power to my dad for nothing?" He asked. "We have a council, made up of all the princes and princesses that made up the land before we became Auradon. I have to go through them, especially for something like this and… they don't like it. They don't like me bringing villain children over to the school."

"Why not?"

"You know why." Ben shrugged.

"When is the next council meeting?" She asked.

"In two weeks." Ben stared at her a moment. "Why?" Channing smiled.

"You'll see." She answered, turning and heading up the stairs towards her room. Ben hesitated before heading up to his own room, past her door.

* * *

 **A/N - Soooo I thought I posted this like three days ago. Oops. Well here it is, and I already have the next one written as well! Reviews are always awesome.**


	8. Chapter 8

Ben was nervous. The council meeting was getting closer and closer and he was hearing rumors that certain members of the council were less than thrilled about the project, about bringing the Villain Kids over. They wanted to end the program, send Mal and the rest of them back to the Isle to live out the rest of their lives.

They claimed that the Prince had been bewitched by the 'Dragon Girl' once, who's to say he's not still under her spell? What's going to stop her from doing it to someone else, to all of them? They lived in fear of magic, as a lot of them didn't have it.

Despite all that, Ben could see the changes in the kids that had been brought over. Rudy had joined the drama club and he seemed to fit right in with them, his baritone bringing a richness to the school musical that hadn't been there before. Dru and Ana had joined the cheer squad, Audrey had been going on and on just the other day about how perfectly in sync they were and how Ana had basically been made to be a flyer, while Dru had the arm strength to lift the other girls higher than anyone before.

Even Channing and Jonathan seemed to have settled in, they still had a habit of causing trouble, but not nearly as much. Ben sat with Mal and their other friends, but his eyes were on the pair, bent over an old looking book, Channing's back was to him, her long blonde hair in a thick braid.

Ben stood and walked over.

"Hey, what are you guys reading?" He asked. Channing looked up at him, quirking an eyebrow.

"A history of Auradon." She answered simply. Ben frowned and looked at the page, sure enough it seemed to be just that.

"Why?"

"Should we not educate ourselves about our new home, your highness?" Jonathan asked.

"I just- didn't expect you to- Is this a spell?" Ben paused. "Did you spell the book?"

"No." Channing sighed, pushing the book towards him. "It's a history of Auradon, we got it from the library." She shrugged. Ben picked the book up and finally realized why it felt wrong.

"This isn't from the school library." He noted.

"Nope." Channing answered.

"You took this from my father's personal collection."

"It's wrong to try and keep the knowledge from the people." Channing commented. Jonathan grinned at her. She held her hands out to take the book back and after a moment, Ben sighed and handed it over. "Thank you." She put it down and with a flick of her hand, it turned back to the original page.

"You're not suppose to use magic, Channing, it's outlawed." Ben reminded her. Channing shrugged.

"I can't help it. When there was a barrier stopping me from using it, from feeling it, I was fine but now… now that I can feel it, if I go too long, it builds up."

"Wait- really?" Ben frowned. He was expecting a sarcastic comment but she just nodded.

"It's like a slow itch that keeps building. I've never let it go too far but…" She shrugged.

"Did you tell Fairy Godmother?"

"I avoid her. She weirds me out. I don't trust anyone who can give up magic that easily." Channing replied, pulling the book back to her, her eyes trailing over the page. "Anyway, I'll return the book when I'm done with it."

"How did you get it though?" Channing waved her hand and an apple came flying across the room. She caught it without looking up and shrugged.

"The same way I do just about everything." She bit into the apple and turned the page.

Ben frowned and walked away, heading for the table where his friends were all sitting.

"You okay?" Jay asked. Ben nodded in response, thinking about the magic, wondering if that was exclusive to her or if the others felt it too.

That evening, Ben and Mal sat in his room, Mal had her math book in her lap, Ben was working, again, on his speech. He had to convince the Council to see things his way, he just had to.

"Mal?" Ben asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah?" Mal's pencil stopped moving.

"What does magic feel like?" He put down his paper and looked to her.

"Feel like? Mine feels warm, like fire. Shooting through my body."

"What about when you're not using it? Like when you're not performing magic?"

"I… never noticed, I guess it doesn't feel like anything to me." Mal looked thoughtful, as if assessing what she currently felt. She shrugged and looked back down at her book.

"No… itching?" Ben winced at how weird that sounded. Mal glanced back up at him.

"No. No itching. Why do you ask?" She pushed her book away and got up from the seat, walking over.

"I was just thinking about something Channing said."

"Never think about anything she says. That's what she wants. You start thinking about it then it consumes you. It's part of her evil."

"Is she evil?" Ben looked up at her.

"Of course she is. You've met her."

"She's no worse than you guys were when you first came here." He pointed out. "They got into some minor trouble, but they've started to settle in."

"No, Ana, Dru and Rudy settled in. Jonathan and Channing are… Jonathan and Channing." Mal corrected him.

"I don't know what that means."

"It means that they are up to something, they're always up to something. Growing up on the Isle had it's effect on them." Mal promised, going to grab her book. "I'm pretty much done with the assignment, I'm going to go back to my dorm. Night, King Ben." She grinned at him.

"Goodnight Mal." Ben got up and kissed her before walking her to the door.

He stood at the door, watching as she headed down, and after a moment, he bounded down to the next floor, walking to Channing's door. He paused, listening. He couldn't hear anything through the wood. He lifted his hand and knocked, a moment later the door opened and Channing stood there, her blonde hair in a messy ponytail on the top of her head. The smell of something burning wafted from the threshold.

"Yes?" She asked.

"The council meeting is in two days… it will be held in the school, in the main hall." The main hall was actually off of the front hall, it was a huge room that was perfect for large meetings. "At seven." He finished.

"Why are you telling me that?"

"Because… You're confusing, and I think half the time you argue with me just for the sake of arguing. But I do also think at the end of the day, you and I have the same goal and you might be able to take avenues to reach that goal that I can't." Ben leaned against the doorway, watching her.

"You think a lot." Channing looked him up and down. "I like that. I'll keep the time and date in mind, Your Highness." Ben tried to look past her at the room, curious as to what she'd done with the place but she stayed in his way. "Did you need anything else?"

"Huh? Oh, no." Ben shook his head.

"Great. See you in the morning, Ben." She went to push the door shut and he moved so he wouldn't be crushed. He was halfway up the stairs when he realized, she had called him Ben.

* * *

 **A/N - Hope you all like the new chapter, reviews are awesome, as are favorites and follows! Sorry I missed posting yesterday, I am American, thus it was Thanksgiving for me and I was with family most of the day. Also I did some early Black Friday shopping and got a crap ton of movies! I'm so excited. Anyway tonight the goal is to churn out like... four chapters. I'm just about out of all the chapters I had ready and waiting to be posted.**


	9. Chapter 9

Ben stood in the front of the hall surrounded by the royals of Auradon. Cinderella and Prince Charming sat together, her mice friends sitting at their own mini table on top of the big table. Show White and her own prince, Ferdinand, were next to them, the room was filled with every royal family who's kingdoms eventually came together to make Auradon. Ben stood at the front of the room and glanced over to his right repeatedly, where his father sat. Belle gave him an encouraging smile.

"Alright, let's call this meeting to order." Ben's voice boomed through the room. "As you all know, my first proclamation was to bring over the children from the Isle of the Lost. I know that some of you- A lot of you… disagreed with this choice-"

"But didn't get a say because it's your first proclamation." Ferdinand, spoke up. "Forcing our poor children to live with-"

"Yes, thank you, there will be time later for comments and complaints." Ben interrupted him. "I-"

"That evil Mal attacked our Audrey, My mother saw it." Aurora stood up, Phillip holding her hand.

"That's not what happened, look I said we will get to concerns later. Right now-"

"Jafar's son stole Chad's cell phone, several times."

"No, Cinderella, Chad just lost it, several times." Ben corrected, glancing to his parents. Belle looked upset, but his father sat in silence. Ben was grateful for that. He didn't want his dad coming to his rescue, but at the same time he felt like he needed it.

"Then that idiot you hired, Wiggins, brings over the child of one of the most evil, powerful-"

"Her mother wasn't evil." Ben heard himself repeating the same thing Channing had said over and over since coming here.

"Not evil?" Snow White scoffed. "Where do you think all those magical artifacts came from? Where most of our villains got their power? Jafar's staff had to be crafted, the magic mirror that drove my step mother to vain insanity, they all came from that woman's magic."

"Things can't be evil, she made a magical staff that someone used for evil-"

"That kind of magic should be contained, on the Isle where it isn't a threat to-" Snow's words were cut off by the boom of the double doors flying open, A cloaked figure stormed into the hall. Ben looked at his dad, who had gone pale. A hand came up to untie the cloak, letting it fly off to reveal Channing.

"What is the meaning of this?" Phillip jumped up. "This is a closed meeting-"

"And I've opened it up. After all, it's me you're talking about, is it not?" Channing looked… a lot like the stained glass in his father's home, the story of the beast, the middle panel showing a beautiful enchantress with long blonde hair, and a flowing green dress, exactly what Channing wore now. With a snap of her fingers the cloak vanished and the doors slammed shut. The royals all started talking at once, panicking.

"Sit down and shut up." Channing ordered. They all hesitated but eventually settled down. "Good." She smiled. "I'm not here to talk about myself, or to scare you with my magic, as tempting at that is. No. I'm here to issue a warning, Not a threat," She stopped Aladdin before he could get a word out, "A warning."

"You were all hurt, by step mothers, by evil queens, by sorcerers and general villains." She acknowledged. "You rounded them up and brought them to justice but your methods in turn doomed the next generation. Have any of you ever been to the Isle? Seen what it's like? Have you toured the trash strewn streets and watched as two children fought each other for the last half rotted banana so they wouldn't go hungry that night?" Channing voice boomed over the entire hall as if she had a microphone, but there wasn't one in sight.

"Of course not, Why would you? The villains are gone, you're safe, your children are safe and who cares about the children born of evil?" Channing quirked an eyebrow. "You should. Because by leaving them on that cursed island you are creating a new generation of villain, a generation that is smarter, craftier, and ready for fight for whatever they can get their hands on because they've always had to fight for everything, for food, for clothes for survival."

"None of you are in fighting shape anymore." She glanced to Naveen, who over the years had grown quite the gut, then to Phillip, whose stomach rivaled that of the late Saltan's. "Your children aren't ready to fight for you. They've grown up pampered without a problem in the world. Do you think Audrey is going to hack her way through a field of thorn bushes?"

"So what can you do? Simple. Save the children. Take these kids who are growing angry, crafty and are full of vengeful thoughts and bring them here. Give them a proper education, give them food and a warm bed. Teach them that they don't have to be evil, that they are more than their parent's child. Teach them to control their magic." She added, looking down at her own hands which had started crackling again. "Teach them that they can be so much more than a Villain."

"Or don't." She shrugged, slipping her hands behind her back. "And in the coming years prepare yourself for battles the likes of which you haven't faced in over twenty years. Because it will be coming, your people will suffer for it." She looked to Ben. "Your king- Our king has taken the right steps, but it's taking too long. Bringing four or five children every six or so months means it is going to take forever to save these children."

"And what of space?" Ferdinand finally spoke up.

"I'll help with that. There are many buildings here that have fallen out of use. I and others can make them livable, make dorms out of them, mix Auradon children with the children of the Isle." She answered. "I can help Ben come up with a schedule to get the children out of the Isle, get them here where they can use their skills to better the world, instead of take it over." Ben smiled at her, grateful.

"That said, if you don't heed my warning, as your kingdoms fall and your armies die, I will come to you, and I will tell you, in my most condescending voice, and believe me, it is condescending, that I told you so." She looked to all the royals pausing on Adam and Belle last. She gave them a nod. "Remember this, moving forward. Ben, let me know if I need to start looking up building spells." She commented to the king before walking out of the room, the doors opened for her and snapped shut as soon as she was free.

"I suppose… we could continue the program." Prince Eric swallowed hard.

"Bring us a proposal." Naveen interjected. "Work with the witch if you want, bring us a solid plan for bringing them over, for keeping them in line and consequences if they get out of hand, and we can vote on it. Fair?" He asked. Ben thought a moment then nodded.

"We shall reconvene in two weeks, I will bring you a plan." He promised. "This meeting is over."


	10. Chapter 10

Ben walked into the library, excited to start on the plans for bringing over more of the Villain Kids. He had invited Channing, of course, and Mal, hoping that she could help with the rebuilds of the old buildings and, quite frankly, he wanted to see more of her and he couldn't imagine her not getting excited about this. After all, the Villain kids were her people, just like they were Channing's.

Ben found Channing sitting at a table towards the back, her feet propped up on the table, her black boots shining in the light. Her long blonde hair was left down, a slight curl to it. Her head was tipped back and her eyes closed but when he walked up, she waved and opened one blue eye.

"You're late." She accused.

"You're early." He replied. She looked over at the clock and wrinkled her nose.

"Fine, let's do this." She brought her feet down from the table, she had a thick notebook sitting on the table and with a snap of her fingers it flew open to a page with green ink scrawled across it.

"Oh- I invited Mal to help." He paused, watching her reaction.

"She won't come." Channing shrugged, scooting her seat into the table. "So we might as well start."

"Of course she's coming-"

"Did she say she was?"

"No- but I invited her."

"And I heard her making plans with Evie and Jane. She's not coming, sit the Royal Ass down and let's get working on this thing." Ben frowned, going to sit down, pulling out his phone, he sent a text to Mal,

'Coming? We're in the library' He put the phone down, face down, as if Channing might not guess what he'd been doing, and pulled his own notebook from his bag.

"What do you have so far?" He asked curiously, his eyes trailing over the words. She turned the notebook around and moved it so he could see the words more easily.

"First we need to fix up the living quarters. I've been down there and they look… better than the Isle but still not up to Auradon standards." Ben glanced up, expecting an eyeroll at the words but she didn't. "So, I'm going to do a test room tonight, my room has held up but I'm also in it every day so it's possible it's feeding off my magic-"

"Is that possible?" Ben interrupted.

"I have no idea. I'm flying blind when it comes to magic. It's not like there's a class, my mom isn't here to help me with it. I'm just kind of going and hoping. So that's why I want to do a test room. Give it like… a week and if it doesn't fall apart then I'll go room by room each day until I can't anymore. I figure once I get an entire hall done we can start bringing kids over."

"Can I watch?" Ben asked.

"Excuse you?" Channing quirked an eyebrow.

"When you do the test room- I just want to see how you do it… what it looks like." Ben explained. Channing thought a moment then shrugged.

"Fine, I don't see why not. Just stay out of the way. I don't want to accidentally turn you into an ottoman or something." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and turned the page.

"Okay so I was trying to come up with a good way to figure out who to bring to Auradon next because you're right, batches of four or five isn't cutting it. I think we should get other people to help with the rooms, even if they can't do it with magic, so it moves faster and we can bring everyone at once. We have a few busses that we use for away Tourney games and we can load them up with students."

"We need a way to welcome them to the castle- not a parade- We need a way to teach them how to get around the school, about the activities. Rudy didn't know about drama until a couple weeks ago and now he's obsessed. He could have been doing this a long time ago and maybe not beheaded so many roses-"

"He did what to what?" Ben asked.

"It's a thing he does, look don't worry about it, there are plenty of white roses in the garden a few snapped off tips won't hurt anyone. So find someone who can put together proper welcome packets." Channing got up and moved over to his side of the table, leaning against it as she wrote a new note down. Ben's phone dinged and he made sure her eyes were on the book before looking.

'Was that today? Shoot, sorry, I made plans with E and Jane. Catch me up tonight'

Ben deflated a little bit but tried to hide it grateful when Channing said nothing about it.

"I think, with this plan, we can have everyone over here within about two weeks." She grinned.

"No." He hated to say it.

"What?"

"This is just a proposal, Channing… the counsel still has to approve it." Ben reminded her. Channing froze, pen posed mid-air. He could feel the familiar crackle in the air of a pissed off Channing but a moment later it was gone. "You're getting better at controlling that." He glanced up at her face.

"They're going to approve it. Call them all in tomorrow-"

"We should wait until after the test room is a success or a failure so we know what we need to do"

"I don't want to wait." Channing threw down the pen and looked at him.

"I don't either but there isn't a choice."

"You're the-"

"King, I know. But this isn't a full monarchy Channing. I am the king, at the end of the day I make the big decisions but I'm not a dictator. I have to give the counsel their say." Ben stood up, he had a few inches on Channing, so he could look down at the girl as the crackle filled the air again. "If I make the definitive decision about this I'm not any better than-" He stopped, pressing his lips together, he took a step back.

"Than your dad, who doomed us all to a life on the Isle."

"He made the executive decision but… they would have agreed anyway." Ben ran a hand through his sandy hair and Channing let out a bitter laugh.

"They would have." She agreed. "But… maybe one of them would have had the foresight to save the kids." She sat back down and a moment later Ben sat with it.

"I'll call for a meeting in a week. We will show them what we have… they'll agree."

"They better. Because I won't give up and I'll make you call them down here on a weekly basis until I have every innocent child off that Isle."

"You won't have to make me. I'll be right there every step of the way until my people are all here, all safe and taken care of." Ben promised. Channing stared at him a moment then turned back to her notebook.

"Fine, a week then." She nodded, picking her pen back up.


End file.
